Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metres

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Women's 1500 metres
at the Games of the XXX Olympiad
2012 Summer Olympics events, Athletics.jpg
VenueOlympic Stadium
Date6–10 August
Competitors46 from 26 nations
Winning time4:10.23
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Maryam Yusuf Jamal[1]  Bahrain
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Tatyana Tomashova  Russia
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Abeba Aregawi  Ethiopia
← 2008
2016 →

The women's 1500 metres competition was an event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. The competition was held at the Olympic Stadium from 6–10 August.[2] The top two finishers were later found to have used prohibited drugs during this period, and subsequently disqualified. The current silver medalist, Tatyana Tomashova, had served a two-year doping ban (2008-2010) for manipulating samples;[3] and the 7th-place finisher Natallia Kareiva and the 9th-place finisher Yekaterina Kostetskaya were later disqualified after being found guilty of doping.

Summary[]

The qualifying rounds were typically strategic, with the second heat notably slower than the first and third. Notable for not qualifying was world championship bronze medalist (and 2009 first finisher) Natalia Rodríguez and Genzebe Dibaba, younger sister of 10000 metres gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba.

The semifinals were similarly inconsistent. In the first semi, the race was stringing out behind a last lap charge by Ethiopian born Bahraini Mimi Belete chased by Aslı Çakır Alptekin, the two leaders looking to be sure qualifiers. At the head of the final straight Alptekin passed Belete for the lead and Belete wilted, falling back through the field and changing the dynamic of the rush for qualifying positions, giving Shannon Rowbury a qualifying spot, while Hilary Stellingwerff and Corinna Harrer had to hope the second semi would go slowly. It didn't. Instead the second semi final went out significantly faster with Tatyana Tomashova pushing the pace after the first 200 metres. With 600 to go, Gamze Bulut passed Tomashova to accelerate the pace further. Abeba Aregawi stayed on Bulut's shoulder and sprinted past with 200 to go, stringing out the field, leaving reigning world champion Jennifer Simpson behind.

The final started out slowly, none of the entrants wanting to take the lead. By default Bulut and Maryam Yusuf Jamal found themselves in the lead, Jamal noticeably looking around for someone else to take the pace. The first lap was 1:15.12, literally a jog for athletes of this caliber. The second lap slightly faster, reached in 2:23.97. The two shared the leading duties until the bell, then both accelerated, with the field swarming to join them. Moments after the bell, Aregawi passed behind Morgan Uceny, who stumbled, her knee meeting the back-kick of Yekaterina Kostetskaya. Just like her experience in the 2011 World Championships, Uceny found herself on the ground as the field was sprinting away from her, leaving her in tears. Alptekin passed Bulut with 300 to go. Aregawi joined the lead group on the back stretch with Jamal and Bulut all jockeying for position behind Alptekin. Coming onto the home stretch Jamal looked like she was in position to move past Alptekin, but she never gained enough. Aregawi edged past Jamal with Bulut trying to close the gap. 20 metres before the finish Aregawi suddenly slowed as she was passed by Jamal at the same time as Bulut passed them both.[4]

Doping and aftermath[]

Suspicions about the race's legitimacy with regard to doping emerged almost immediately. Great Britain's Lisa Dobriskey, who finished 10th, felt fewer qualms about voicing her suspicions, telling reporters immediately after the race, "I don't believe I'm competing on a level playing field." While refusing to accuse any specific athlete of PED use, Dobriskey added that "People will be caught eventually, I think. Fingers crossed, anyway."

In May 2013, several news organizations reported that winner Aslı Çakır Alptekin had tested positive for a banned substance.[5][6] As her second doping offense, she would face a lifetime ban if found guilty and be stripped of her gold medal. Neither the IAAF nor WADA made an official confirmation of the positive drug test.[7] On 28 July 2014, IAAF announced that 9th-place finisher Yekaterina Kostetskaya was sanctioned for doping after her biological passport had showed abnormalities. Her result was disqualified.[8]

On 17 August 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport approved a settlement agreed to by Alptekin and the IAAF. Alptekin agreed to give up her 1500 m Olympic title and serve an eight-year ban for blood doping.[9] There was no confirmation from the IOC whether the medals would be redistributed.[10]

On 1 June 2016, Turkish media reported that Gamze Bulut had also been found to have employed illegal performance enhancing methods by dint of observations of her athlete 'passport'. It was reported that, if confirmed, Bulut would lose her Olympic and European medals, and all medals and records from 2012 to 2016.[11] IAAF sanctioned her in March 2017 by four year inegibility and a disqualification since July 2011[12]

In a 2017 story for U.S. sports media giant ESPN, American competitor Shannon Rowbury, who finished sixth, indicated she suspected that several of her opponents were using performance-enhancing drugs, but according to the story's writer Doug Williams "felt powerless to challenge other runners, even after the race." and "It's a bit mind-blowing to think that half of the field shouldn't have been there to begin with."[13]

Fourth-place runner Tatyana Tomashova received a two-year ban from 2008–2010 for manipulating doping samples.[14] In 2016, the IAAF reported that Ethiopian runner Abeba Aregawi, who initially finished the final in fifth place, had also failed a drug test,[15] though she was reinstated in July.

Belarusian runner Natallia Kareiva, who finished seventh in the final, received a two-year ban in 2014 for doping after her biological passport showed abnormalities. This voided her result from the 2012 Olympics.[16]

Russian runner Yekaterina Kostetskaya was also sanctioned for doping in 2014, disqualifying her initial ninth-place finish.[8]

These developments meant that six of the race's top nine finishers were linked to PED usage. The aforementioned ESPN story called the race "one of the dirtiest in Olympic history."[13]

In 2017, the IOC officially reassigned the gold medal to Maryam Yusuf Jamal, but pending the outcome of anti-doping proceedings against several lower-placed finishers the silver and bronze remain vacant.

In 2018, the IOC reallocated silver and bronze medals, upgrading Tomashova despite her doping suspension.[17]

Competition format[]

The women's 1500 m competition consisted of heats (round 1), semifinals and a final. The first 6 competitors in each heat of round 1 along with the next six fastest overall qualified for the semifinals.[18] In the semifinals the first five in each heat along with the next two fastest overall qualified for the final. There was a tie for the 12th fastest overall time and both athletes qualified for the final, making a total of 13 athletes.[19]

Records[]

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World record  Qu Yunxia (CHN) 3:50.46 Beijing, China 11 September 1993
Olympic record  Paula Ivan (ROU) 3:53.96 Seoul, South Korea 26 September 1988
2012 World leading  Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (MAR) 3:56.15 Paris, France 6 July 2012

Schedule[]

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

Date Time Round
Monday, 6 August 2012 11:45 Round 1
Wednesday, 8 August 2012 19:45 Semifinals
Friday, 10 August 2012 20:55 Finals

Results[]

Round 1[]

Qual. rule: first 6 of each heat (Q) plus the 6 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1[]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Abeba Aregawi  Ethiopia 4:04.55 Q
2 Tatyana Tomashova  Russia 4:05.10 Q
3 Maryam Yusuf Jamal  Bahrain 4:05.39 Q
4 Hellen Onsando Obiri  Kenya 4:05.40 Q
5 Hannah England  Great Britain 4:05.73 Q
6 Hilary Stellingwerff  Canada 4:05.79 Q
7 Shannon Rowbury  United States 4:06.03 q
8 Lucy van Dalen  New Zealand 4:07.04 q
9 Lucia Klocova  Slovakia 4:07.79 q, NR
10 Corinna Harrer  Germany 4:07.83 q
11 Marina Munćan  Serbia 4:11.25
12 Tereza Capkova  Czech Republic 4:12.15
13 Anzhelika Shevchenko  Ukraine 4:12.97
14 Natalia Rodríguez  Spain 4:16.18
15 Tuğba Karakaya  Turkey 4:29.21
N/A Btissam Lakhouad  Morocco N/A DNF

Heat 2[]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Lisa Dobriskey  Great Britain 4:13.32 Q
2 Siham Hilali  Morocco 4:13.34 Q
N/A Aslı Çakır Alptekin  Turkey 4:13.64 Q
3 Nuria Fernández  Spain 4:13.72 Q
4 Kaila McKnight  Australia 4:13.80 Q
5 Jennifer Simpson  United States 4:13.81 Q
N/A Ekaterina Martynova[20]  Russia 4:13.86
6 Genzeb Shumi  Bahrain 4:14.02
7 Meskerem Assefa  Ethiopia 4:15.52
8 Eunice Jepkoech Sum  Kenya 4:16.95
9 Sonja Roman  Slovenia 4:19.17
10 Eliane Saholinirina  Madagascar 4:19.46
11 Renata Pliś  Poland 4:19.62
12 Chancel Ilunga Sankuru  Democratic Republic of the Congo 5:05.25
N/A Ingvill Makestad Bovim  Norway N/A DNS

Heat 3[]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
N/A Gamze Bulut  Turkey 4:06.69 Q
1 Morgan Uceny  United States 4:06.87 Q
N/A Natallia Kareiva  Belarus 4:06.87 Q, SB
N/A Yekaterina Kostetskaya  Russia 4:06.94 Q
2 Mimi Belete  Bahrain 4:07.01 Q, SB
3 Laura Weightman  Great Britain 4:07.29 Q
4 Nicole Sifuentes  Canada 4:07.65 q
5 Zoe Buckman  Australia 4:07.83 q
6 Faith Kipyegon  Kenya 4:08.78
7 Genzebe Dibaba  Ethiopia 4:11.15
8 Janet Achola  Uganda 4:11.64
9 Isabel Macías  Spain 4:13.07
10 Anna Mishchenko  Ukraine 4:13.63
11 Betlhem Desalegn  United Arab Emirates 4:14.07
12 Gladys Landaverde  El Salvador 4:18.26 NR

Semifinals[]

Qual. rule: first 5 of each semifinal (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) qualified.

Heat 1[]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
N/A Aslı Çakır Alptekin  Turkey 4:05.11 Q
N/A Yekaterina Kostetskaya  Russia 4:05.32 Q
1 Morgan Uceny  United States 4:05.34 Q
2 Lisa Dobriskey  Great Britain 4:05.35 Q
3 Shannon Rowbury  United States 4:05.47 Q
4 Hilary Stellingwerff  Canada 4:05.57
5 Corinna Harrer  Germany 4:05.70
6 Mimi Belete  Bahrain 4:05.91 SB
7 Hannah England  Great Britain 4:06.35
8 Nuria Fernandez  Spain 4:06.57 SB
9 Lucy van Dalen  New Zealand 4:06.97
10 Kaila McKnight  Australia 4:08.44

Heat 2[]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes
1 Abeba Aregawi  Ethiopia 4:01.03 Q
N/A Gamze Bulut  Turkey 4:01.18 Q, PB
2 Tatyana Tomashova  Russia 4:02.10 Q
3 Maryam Yusuf Jamal  Bahrain 4:02.18 Q, SB
4 Hellen Onsando Obiri  Kenya 4:02.30 Q
N/A Natallia Kareiva  Belarus 4:02.37 q, PB
5 Laura Weightman  Great Britain 4:02.99 q, PB
6 Lucia Klocova  Slovakia 4:02.99 q, NR
7 Siham Hilali  Morocco 4:04.79
8 Zoe Buckman  Australia 4:05.03 PB
9 Nicole Sifuentes  Canada 4:06.33
10 Jennifer Simpson  United States 4:06.89

Finals[]

Rank Athlete Nation Time Notes[10]
1st place, gold medalist(s) Maryam Yusuf Jamal  Bahrain 4:10.74
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Tatyana Tomashova  Russia 4:10.90
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Abeba Aregawi  Ethiopia 4:11.03
4 Shannon Rowbury  United States 4:11.26
5 Lucia Klocová  Slovakia 4:12.64
6 Lisa Dobriskey  Great Britain 4:13.02
7 Laura Weightman  Great Britain 4:15.60
8 Hellen Onsando Obiri  Kenya 4:16.57
n/a Morgan Uceny  United States n/a DNF
n/a Aslı Çakır Alptekin  Turkey 4:10.23 DQ (doping)
n/a Gamze Bulut  Turkey 4:10.40 DQ (doping)
n/a Natallia Kareiva  Belarus 4:11.58 DQ (doping)
n/a Yekaterina Kostetskaya  Russia 4:12.90 DQ (doping)

References[]

  1. ^ Mallon, Bill (26 Sep 2017). "2008-12 OLYMPIC DOPING RE-TEST – AN UPDATE-UPDATE". Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  2. ^ "Athletics". London2012.com.
  3. ^ "Seven Russians handed doping bans". BBC Sport. BBC. 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  4. ^ "The XXX Olympic Games Olympic Games". IAAF.org.
  5. ^ Hart, Simon (3 May 2013). "Turkish Olympic champion Cakir Alptekin dopes positive". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
  6. ^ "Asli Cakir Alptekin Charged With Doping". The New York Times. 3 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Women's Olympic 1500 Champ Reportedly Fails Drug Test". Runner's World.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "List of athletes currently serving a period of ineligibility as a result of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under IAAF Rules". IAAF. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
  9. ^ "Turkey's Asli Cakir Alptekin stripped of Olympic 1500m title for doping". TheGuardian.com. 17 August 2015.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "1500m women results – Athletics – London 2012 Olympics". Olympic.org.
  11. ^ Bulut to lose medals, in turkish
  12. ^ "Newsletter 181". iaaf.org. 29 March 2017.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Williams, Doug (February 9, 2017). "'I've realized what a plague doping is in our sport'". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  14. ^ "Seven Russians handed doping bans". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  15. ^ "Swedish 1500m runner Abeba Aregawi suspended after positive drugs test". TheGuardian.com. 29 February 2016.
  16. ^ "IAAF: Doping sanctions News 156". IAAF.org.
  17. ^ London 2012 1500 m women
  18. ^ "Athletics at the 2012 London Summer Games:". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  19. ^ "Athletics at the 2012 London Summer Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  20. ^ "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issues decisions in the cases of Tatyana Chernova, Ekaterina Sharmina and Kristina Ugarova" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 29 Nov 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
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